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Art Work by Sally Mann

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Art Work

On the Creative Life

Sally Mann

Abrams Press · Print & ebook · September 9, 2025

Reading lane: Photography Writing

“ A big and beautiful gift-worthy holiday art book” (New York Times) , this new book by artist Sally Mann about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process, is now a New York Times bestseller. “Erudite, frank, and funny.” —Amor Towles, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway Offering a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons, Art Work , by photographer and writer Sally Mann, is not to be missed.

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Making the Work

Sally Mann considers creativity in frank, funny prose, alongside photographs, journal entries, and letters.

Come here for

  • Thoughtful company on risk, rejection, luck, and the working life
  • A vivid blend of stories, advice, and visual ephemera

Expect

  • Direct reflections on the challenges and pleasures of creating
  • A mix of practical and impractical advice

Book Details

Authors
Sally Mann
Publisher
Abrams Press
Published
September 9, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Photography Writing · Photographers' Books
Reading lane
Photography Writing

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • Studying Artists

  • Personal Memoirs

  • Photography Writing

  • Unlocking Creativity

About This Book

“ A big and beautiful gift-worthy holiday art book” (New York Times) , this new book by artist Sally Mann about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process, is now a New York Times bestseller. “Erudite, frank, and funny.” —Amor Towles, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway Offering a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons, Art Work , by photographer and w...

Read full description

“ A big and beautiful gift-worthy holiday art book” (New York Times) , this new book by artist Sally Mann about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process, is now a New York Times bestseller. “Erudite, frank, and funny.” —Amor Towles, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway Offering a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons, Art Work , by photographer and writer Sally Mann, is not to be missed. Written in the same direct, fearless, and occasionally outrageous tone of her bestselling memoir, Hold Still , this new book reaffirms Mann as a unique and resonant voice for our times and is destined to become a classic. Illustrated throughout with photographs, journal entries, and letters that bring immediacy and poignancy to the narrative, Art Work is full of thought-provoking insights about the hazards of early promise; the unpredictable role of luck; the value of work, work, work, and more hard work; the challenges of rejection and distraction; the importance of risk-taking; and the rewards of knowing why and when you say yes. In sparkling prose and thoughtfully juxtaposed visuals and ephemera, Art Work is a generous, provocative, and compulsively readable exploration of creativity by one of our most original thinkers.

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